TRACK: Hayzlett aiming for return to state

Two years ago, as a freshman, the advanced all the way to the Division I state track and field meet in the high jump.

Then, as a sophomore, she made it to regionals but to qualify for the state meet.

So the goal this year for the Wapakoneta Redskins junior was a simple one.

Go back.

“Last year I kind of struggled a bit with my height,” Hayzlett said in between events at the Redskin Relays on Friday at Harmon Field. “I never really got back to where I progressed to my freshman year. So I definitely wanted to get back to where I was my freshman year and then surpass it.”

Hayzlett certainly appears to be on-track to do that.

She recently broke the Wapakoneta school record in the high jump, clearing 5-foot-5 at a Western Buckeye League dual meet on Tuesday, April 10 at Shawnee High School.

It was also her personal-best jump.

It also put her in the ballpark of where she needed to be to return to state.

As a freshman, she finished 12th at the state meet with a jump of 5-2. She jumped 5-2 again as a sophomore at regionals. But 5-4 was the cutoff to advance. And 12 jumpers cleared 5-4 at state.

“If I can jump around 5-5, 5-6, that will put me in a good spot,” Hayzlett said. “That would be ideal for me.”

While most would consider a trip to regionals as a sophomore a successful season, it wasn’t what Hayzlett was shooting for.

“I was just struggling a lot,” she said. “I was still doing okay. But it wasn’t as well as I wanted. I don’t know if it was my technique was wrong or what was wrong. But it wasn’t clicking.”

Hayzlett opted to keep her offseason regiment the same over making wholesale changes.

“I did pretty much the same things,” she said. “I worked hard and tried to get stronger and get better and strengthen my legs.”

The results have supported the wisdom of that decision. And Hayzlett is happy about that.

“It’s still early in the season and I’m doing much better than I was last year,” she said. “Last year I was two to four inches lower. This year I’m consistent at my heights and I’m happy with that.”

Hayzlett said the key to that consistency is consistency in her approach.

“Your approach is the main component of what you do,” she said. “If your steps are wrong, then you’re not going to have a good jump.”

If Hayzlett keeps going the way she is, she’s going to have a lot of good jumps.